Cost of living comparison

Kingston, Jamaica

compared to

San Salvador, El Salvador

San Salvador vs. Kingston Cost of Living Summary

San Salvador is 9.7% more expensive than Kingston.

Restaurants: pay 1.2% less in San Salvador
Groceries: pay 30.1% less in San Salvador
Transportation: pay 19.8% less in San Salvador
Housing: pay 0.7% less in San Salvador
Childcare: pay 71.5% more in San Salvador
Entertainment and Sports: pay 45.9% less in San Salvador
Clothing: pay 94.1% more in San Salvador

The cost of clothing and childcare in San Salvador are more expensive than in Kingston. Expenses including entertainment and sports, groceries, transportation, restaurants, and housing are lower in San Salvador. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in San Salvador.

San Salvador vs. Kingston Cost Breakdown

If you lived in San Salvador instead of Kingston, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 1.2% less for restaurants

	Kingston	San Salvador
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$7.52 JMD1,200.87	$10.00 SVC87.50	+33.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.62 JMD1,376.00	$7.00 SVC61.25	-18.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.41 JMD225.55	$1.09 SVC9.52	-23.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.88 JMD140.10	$0.91 SVC7.98	+4.0%
Average			-1.2%

Kingston vs. San Salvador - Cost of restaurants

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pay 30.1% less for groceries

	Kingston	San Salvador
Bread 1 loaf	$3.54 JMD565.64	$2.12 SVC18.55	-40.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.58 JMD1,050.12	$3.24 SVC28.32	-50.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$15.26 JMD2,436.69	$7.39 SVC64.62	-51.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.27 JMD682.16	$3.04 SVC26.56	-28.9%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.97 JMD474.05	$2.78 SVC24.29	-6.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.70 JMD431.48	$1.44 SVC12.62	-46.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.39 JMD221.34	$0.77 SVC6.72	-44.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.82 JMD291.19	$1.17 SVC10.20	-36.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.59 JMD254.44	$1.22 SVC10.64	-23.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.04 JMD166.44	$0.99 SVC8.69	-4.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.95 JMD151.48	$0.98 SVC8.54	+2.8%
Average			-30.1%

Kingston vs. San Salvador - Cost of groceries

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pay 19.8% less for transportation

	Kingston	San Salvador
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.83 JMD772.03	$3.97 SVC34.77	-17.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$37.59 JMD6,004.35	$20.00 SVC175.01	-46.8%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$42,920.30 JMD6,854,968.24	$25,000.00 SVC218,760.68	-41.8%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$26.32 JMD4,203.05	$33.43 SVC292.50	+27.0%
Average			-19.8%

Kingston vs. San Salvador - Cost of transportation

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pay 0.7% less for housing

	Kingston	San Salvador
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$52.89 JMD8,446.93	$42.14 SVC368.77	-20.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$874.50 JMD139,669.95	$858.33 SVC7,510.78	-1.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$425.21 JMD67,911.32	$641.67 SVC5,614.86	+50.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$118.83 JMD18,978.46	$81.52 SVC713.33	-31.4%
Average			-0.7%

Kingston vs. San Salvador - Cost of housing

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pay 71.5% more for childcare

	Kingston	San Salvador
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$227.66 JMD36,359.69	$160.29 SVC1,402.57	-29.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$2,105.29 JMD336,243.70	$5,740.67 SVC50,233.28	+172.7%
Average			+71.5%

Kingston vs. San Salvador - Cost of childcare

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pay 45.9% less for entertainment and sports

	Kingston	San Salvador
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.13 JMD500.36	$2.00 SVC17.50	-36.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.28 JMD684.04	$3.24 SVC28.34	-24.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$8.77 JMD1,401.02	$4.00 SVC35.00	-54.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$69.97 JMD11,174.77	$30.67 SVC268.35	-56.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$13.16 JMD2,101.52	$5.50 SVC48.13	-58.2%
Average			-45.9%

Kingston vs. San Salvador - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 94.1% more for clothing

	Kingston	San Salvador
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$26.32 JMD4,203.05	$72.14 SVC631.28	+174.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$25.59 JMD4,086.29	$47.86 SVC418.77	+87.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$71.01 JMD11,341.55	$112.14 SVC981.30	+57.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$68.92 JMD11,007.98	$108.33 SVC947.96	+57.2%
Average			+94.1%

Kingston vs. San Salvador - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025

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See the cost of living in Jamaica vs. El Salvador. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Jamaica and El Salvador.

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